EASY DIY CARPET HEADBOARD

I’ve been meaning to make a new headboard for my room ever since I did this wood fabric one a couple of years back. You should see my secret Pinterest boards, they are overflowing with inspo images of headboards I hoped to one day make, but it wasn’t until I stumbled across this gorgeous blue kinda felt-like fabric in Bunnings that the idea for this simple construction came to life.

Sure it’s meant for marine flooring, not your usual bedding material choice, but I am in LOVE with this vibrant blue colour which has the most amazing texture and mix of blues through it. It’s also a super thick material (you know, because it’s carpet) so meant less layers needed behind it.

The other thing that had really put me off making a proper headboard until now was the thought of constructing a giant wooden frame (especially as I have a king bed – eek!) but I winged it and put together as little wood as possible. I picked up all the pieces from Bunnings and got the pieces cut to size there free of charge so when I got home all I had to do was screw it together – pretty clean and easy actually!

Here goes…

4 timber pieces 64 x 19mm x 1.2M (I picked up 2 x 2.4M pieces from Bunnings and had them cut it in half in store)

1 timber piece 64 x 19mm cut to 2M (2M is perfect for my king size bed – if you have a queen or double measure your width and adjust this size)

2 x sheets of 7mm ply or pegboard 1200 x 915mm (the total width of these two sheets needs to match your above large panel give or take a few mm)

2M carpet material. Mine is Blue Flat Marine from Bunnings.

Drill

40mm countersunk timber screws x8

Staple gun and staples

Nails (large head if you’re using pegboard)

Hammer

Stanley knife

Pencil

First up, it’s always a good idea to drill pilot holes into your wood before screwing. This prevents the wood from splitting when you put the screw into it, especially when you’re working close to the edge like my below example.

I recommend laying your large piece on the floor, and your 4 shorter pieces laid out evenly across, like my below image example (my puppy Ella has decided to help walk you through this one too! haha what a muppet) I didn’t measure I just did it roughly by eye here, and just mark where your poles are with pencil.

Drill two holes per cross-section.

Then just drill in your screws. You might want a buddy to hold the wood as you drill so it doesn’t spin. Or if you are a no-friends-Nigel like me, do as I did and but it up against a wall.

Once your 4 vertical poles are all attached, lay your ply or pegboard on top. I didn’t choose pegboard over ply for any particular reason, I just had some laying around home and it’s nice and sturdy. A sheet of ply will work just as well and the thicker you go, the sturdier it will be.

Now to just hammer your sheet down. If you’re using pegboard like me you’ll need nails with a large head to hold it in place, otherwise regular nails or even screws will be fine.

A SUPER handy little tip to save your fingers from meeting the wrath of the hammer – push your nail through a piece of paper and use that to hold in place while you hammer. When the nail is down just rip the paper off. Life changing.

Ok that’s the frame done. Now lay out your material and place the frame face down.

If you are using a thinner fabric, I would recommend adding a layer of wadding/batting material in between the frame and front material to just make it a bit cosier. You can pick this up from craft stores like Lincraft and Spotlight.

Make sure you have enough room around the edges to fold the material over the frame.

Pull the fabric tight and start stapling down one side edge, one staple per every inch or so. (note – I didn’t fold mine all the way around over the top in my below example of my side piece, as I magically managed to have the perfect amount to leave flush. But if you have extra, definitely pull over the top and staple to the very back of the head board as this will conceal the staples from view.

When you reach your first corner, cut a rectangle from the corner area with a stanley knife, this will leave your two pieces with a flush finish. Do this for every corner and staple all the way around

Then you’re ready to put behind your bed!

Because this rests directly on the floor there is no need to fasten to the wall, it just stays in place with the weight of the bed in front of it.

I think Ella approves.

If you don’t yet have a headboard in your bedroom I totally recommend thinking about it. It can make such a massive difference to the vibe a room and instantly makes it feel more complete. Having a bright one like this too means you don’t need much accessorising to finish off your whole room’s look either – just let your new blue beauty shine.

Hope this tutorial has inspired you to banish those fears of crafting your own headboard and give it a go! Not only will you save yourself $100’s compared to buying one, but it’s pretty damn satisfying knowing you made something so grand.

Have you made or thought about making your own headboard? What styles do you like?

Crafts Pilot is a tutorial based website that covers crafts, DIY, home decor, sewing, paper crafting and more. Learn how to set up your own craft blog in minutes with just 4 easy steps! Use your new blog to show off your crafting skills and earn some extra money too!